Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Astonishing Pyrotechnics of William Byrd

My favorite example of a piece I dearly love but could never sing -- very few parishes could ever pull this off -- is the William Byrd motet for Advent "Vigilate." It's a piece that makes me think that Adam might be right after all.

Watch ye therefore (for you know not when the lord of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning):
Watch therefore, lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping.
And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.

It's all amazing but "ne cum venerit repente" is just wow.

By the way, make your way to the Byrd Festival and hear one of the best Byrd choirs in the world sing this material live!

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Catholic liturgical music is serious, solemn, transcendent, but Catholic musicians are never more fun and inspiring than when they are talking about what they love most. This is what happens at sacred music events around the world: the social and intellectual are critically important elements. The musicians (and music enthusiasts) at the Chant Café, a project of the Church Music Association of America, bring that sense of life and love to the digital world. As St. Augustine said, "Cantare amantis est."

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